Business Management: BPI Migration Plan- Design High Level Phase

BPI Migration Plan- Design High Level Phase

The Migration Plan is a continuation of the Mobilization Plan and forms part of the 'Program Book'. It is developed as the Design High-Level Phase is nearing completion. The Migration Plan represents a new section added to the 'Program Book' that identifies, integrates and sequences the major dimensions that must be addressed to implement the future business solution.

The Migration Plan provides a single over-arching program management framework for incorporating all relevant organizational change activities in an integrated fashion. It ensures there is an infrastructure and a mechanism in place to track the progress of all the changes, and take appropriate actions, during the hectic, Design Details, Build and Implement phases.

The Migration Plan is a blueprint for integrating all process, human resource, policy, technology and facilities elements. It provides the client with an overview of the anticipated time frame for implementation. Without the establishment of a common vision of the organization's capabilities at each plateau, key players within the organization may have vastly different expectations of the degree of change that will be required at various milestones. Omission of a Migration Plan significantly increases the risk that key migration activities will be either ill-timed or will inadvertently be left out.

It allows the client to review the previous phases of the BPI initiative, and to identify what has gone well, and what has not gone well, with respect to issues such as cultural change, resistance, commitment and effective sponsorship. This is particularly important at this point because the project will now begin to include increasing numbers of people as it moves towards the Design Details, Build and Implement phases.
By providing a high-level road-map of all BPI related activities it assists in the establishment of cross-team communications particularly in relation to inter-dependencies. It incorporates contingency planning, thus preparing all parties for the risks likely to be encountered and the best strategies for responding to them.
BPI initiatives can lose their focus if there is no integration of all activities. As a result, resistance to change will rise and morale will fall. This frequently leads to project delays.

Define the migration strategy (e.g. key milestones or “plateaus”, guiding principles)

Define the key milestones or 'plateaus' desired for the Design Details, Build and Implement phases of the program. (Plateau Planning).

These milestones require that minimum and maximum elapsed time-frames for full transition to the new business solution be considered. The minimum is typically driven by the time required to put in place new technology, and the maximum by market imperatives, such as revenues and costs.

Define migration principles (e.g. Return On Investment (ROI) by year two; non-technology dependent changes implemented first; only act where there is committed sponsorship).
Review how the BPI initiative has progressed and identify key learning points for incorporation into the way the initiative needs to be managed during the period of the Migration Plan.

Define separable sub-projects by grouping change activities that are manageable in size and comprised of highly inter-related tasks.
For each sub-project, identify objectives, major steps, time-frame, and resources, risks and inter-dependencies. (Work Packages)
Allocate sub-projects along timelines.
Define time-phased (e.g. annualized) costs and benefits.

Leading the transition from high level design to next phases
Holding the vision of the total BPI initiative and how their specific project fits within the wider initiative
Networking with other sponsors
Reporting progress and seeking and providing support and assistance to/from other sponsors

Review the Communication Plan and adjust to reflect the current needs of the project.
Develop mechanisms for monitoring and reviewing the progress and implementation of all change activities during the period of the Migration Plan.

These include the creation of contingency plans that identify likely risks areas and potential strategies for ensuring success.

Large projects carry a high risk of failure when moving into implementation. Develop the Migration Plan in close partnership with the client. Since sponsorship of the program by senior management becomes increasingly vital at this stage, it should be stepped up and made more visible.
The Migration Plan should consider actions required to address organizational or technical issues that have an impact on the ability to design or implement new processes, such as:

Changes to performance evaluation and/or compensation plans to accommodate group or process performance measures are addressed through the Migration Human Resource Strategy and the Performance Support and Recognition deliverables.
Improvements to existing technology infrastructure and/or information systems delivery capabilities.
Changes to hiring, transfer, downsizing, outsourcing or other human resource policies. Refer to the Migration Human Resource Strategy deliverable.
Provision of learning opportunities to assist people contribute effectively during the BPI initiative and to support new organizational learning capabilities.

Start developing the Migration Plan early, i.e. as soon as separable sub-projects can be identified. This will enable the project to glide smoothly through the final project phases.
Prioritize sub-projects according to selected and rated criteria
Focus heavily on cross-project networking to ensure that critical information and learning is exchanged and to facilitate the development of co-operative working relationships across the organization.

Project managers for External Consultant and the client team take the lead in developing migration strategies and timelines. However, functional specialists will be best skilled to define the sub-projects related to human resources, facilities, policies, etc